The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction

I'd love to know how many of you are out there following this thread of Room for Debate on the Opinion Pages of the New York Times.  The question is:  "Why do bestselling young adult novels seem darker in theme now than in past years?  What's behind this dystopian trend, and why is there so much demand for it?"

The chosen debaters are Paolo Bacigalupi, Maggie Stiefvater, Jay Parini, Scott Westerfeld, Andrew Clements, Michelle Ann Abate, and Lisa Rowe Fraustino, with many others chiming in.

I rather like the tact Maggie Stiefvater takes.  I value Paolo Bacigalupi's sensibilities as a writer.  I have long struggled, especially since chairing the Young People's Literature jury for the National Book Awards in 2001, with the questions posited by Michelle Ann Abate.

What do you think?

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